


Youngblood

by vanderiinde



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Original Characters - Freeform, RDR2, basically the whole plot with my ocs in it, ft ocs, rdr2 oc - Freeform, red dead redemption 2 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 21:46:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17875418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanderiinde/pseuds/vanderiinde
Summary: Luna Van Der Linde, Nick and Lily Matthews, Amelia Silverton and Connor Kingston. Five of the youngest members of the Van Der Linde gang. They had rode with outlaws for all of their lives - or at least, most of it. When everything starts going downhill - they each have to make a decision. With the gang, or against it?





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> SO
> 
> I was told from tumblr to post this here. This is my first AO3 fic I guess? The whole premise of this project is to basically write the events of RDR2 just with 5 of my OCs included. I was told people would wanna read it so.. here I am.
> 
> My tumblr is vanderiinde if any readers from here wanna follow me :) I wont be posting each chapter as one, as itll be WAY too long - I'm gonna separate them into bits. Please let me know what you think. 
> 
> anyway, onwards.

                                                                                                 

**Chapter One - Colter**

 

In the dead of night and the worst snowstorm 1899 had seen, Dutch Van Der Linde led the Van Der Linde gang through the snowy mountains, having only just gotten out of the small town of Blackwater after a robbery gone wrong. Sitting next to a Hosea Matthews, they looked on for some shelter, trying to keep their family warm.   
  
Amelia Silverton was following on horseback, her oversized coat, a gift from Arthur, wrapped firmly around her shoulders as she shivered. The young 20 year old watched Abigail and Luna work on Davey, a member of their gang who had been fatally injured, and sighed. She wondered just how on earth they had gotten themselves in that situation. Moving her brown hair out of her face, she looked behind her to check on the twins.

The twins, Lily and Nick Matthews, were the spitting image of their mother Bessie who had unfortunately already passed. Their father Hosea was fiercely protective, always keeping a close eye as they always got themselves into mischief as 17 year olds should. The pair were inseparable, following the caravan closely in fear of getting lost.

Luna Van Der Linde was helping Abigail work on Davey in the medical wagon. The short 16 year old being a huge help in the medical field - almost as if it were a gift. She kept an eye on Davey’s wounds, keeping pressure on them as instructed by Abigail and Reverend Swanson.

Connor Kingston had kept his mouth shut for once and instead followed the caravan, keeping guard at the back alongside Javier. The mouthy 22 year old always had an opinion for everything, and didn’t exactly get along with a lot of the gang. He made up for it with fighting - he was a damn good fighter, and a valuable asset to the group, as much as Amelia or Luna didn’t want to admit it.

“Abigail says he’s dyin’, Dutch. We have to stop some place.” Reverend Swanson warned up at Dutch and Hosea, his hoarse voice no match for the loud wind.

“Okay, Arthur’s out looking - I sent him up ahead.” Dutch responded, not sure how on earth he could help apart from wait until Arthur got back. He had a hell of a lot on his plate - Sean and Mac missing, Davey on death’s door, and trying to find a place for the people relying on him to stay.

“If we don’t stop soon we’ll all be dying. This weather, it’s _May_ … I’m just hoping the law got as lost as we did.” Hosea’s voice came from beside Dutch, the bitter cold biting at his face as he shivered. The cold wasn’t good for his bones. The two noticed a silhouette in front of them, and were on alert until they recognised it to be Arthur.

“Arthur! Any luck?” Dutch called forward, his voice hopeful. He was desperately praying that Arthur had found something useful.

Arthur dipped his hat, wiping the fresh snow from its hilts. "I found a place where we can get some shelter!" he shouted in response, the aggression of the blizzard rendering him difficult to hear. "Let Davey rest while he... You know." he added on, the gruffness of his voice growing stronger.

"Come on!" Dutch called to the rest of the group, speeding up the wagon he was steering. He was relieved, suddenly getting almost excited to get everyone inside near a warm fire.   
  
It only took them a little while to get to the little mining town, Dutch checking on each individual member as Hosea checked the building they were about to bring Davey into. Making sure there was no danger, he called back outside. “Bring him in here!”   
  
Amelia dismounted her horse, taking it into the building they were going to use as shelter for them and tried to keep herself as wrapped as possible. She helped Nick bring all of the horses in, having no time to talk as she focused. Patting him on the shoulder once they had finished, they made their way to the main building with everyone else. Lily and Luna followed the gang into the house, quickly taking a seat. It wasn’t warm yet, but hell, it was out of the wind. Luna looked around at everyone’s faces, and she couldn’t tell if they were full of hope or full of fear. Connor wandered in with Javier and Bill, putting his gun back into his holster now they were finally in and safe. He smiled at young Jack, walking over to the fire and placing some logs inside of the fireplace ready.

Abigail took a stand next to Davey, ready to patch him up properly now they were in shelter when she noticed he wasn't breathing. She looked at his chest - no movement. She put her head near his nostrils - no air coming out. "Davey's dead." She said sadly. Amelia sighed, looking down sadly. They'd lost a lot of people. They didn't even know if Mac and Sean were alive, and worry sat in the pit of her stomach as well as everyone else's. It was evident to Dutch spirits were low.

"There was... Nothing more you could've done," Reverend Swanson peered over to the brunette, dipping his head.

"What are we gonna do, we need supplies?" Hosea asked, closing Davey's eyes with two fingers and looking up at Dutch. He watched him move, nodding at the man.

"Well first of all you are gonna stay here, and you are gonna get yourself warm." Dutch looked at Hosea, a hand on his shoulder briefly. "Now I sent John and Micah scouting out ahead. Arthur and I, we're gonna ride out and see if we can find one of them."

"In this!?" Arthur waved to the outdoors, frowning a bit. He didn’t exactly want to go outside, it was a death trap.

"Just for a short bit. I don't see what other choice we have.” Dutch reassured, looking at the faces of his gang. They needed some motivation, fast. "Listen... Listen to me all of you, for a moment. Now we've had a bad couple of days. I loved Davey, and Jenny... Sean, Mac, they may be okay, we don't know."

Amelia looked down at the mention of Sean, but soon perked back up. She was worried. They weren’t exactly together, but there was definitely something there - the whole damn gang could see it. Luna listened to her father intently as well as the others.

“But we lost some folk. Now if I could throw myself into the ground in their stead, I'd do it. Gladly. But we are gonna ride out, and we are gonna find some food. Everyone, we're safe now. There ain’t nobody following us in a storm like this. And by the time they get here we'll be long gone. We've been through worse than this before. Mr Pearson, Miss Grimshaw, I need you to turn this place into a camp. We may be here for a few days. Now all of you, _all of you_ , stay strong. Stay with me. We ain't done yet." He said with a strong tone, nodding towards the door. “Come on Arthur.” He finished strongly, reaching and squeezing Luna’s hand quickly before walking out of the door with Arthur. The gang sat in silence for a few moments, before Connor decided to lift some spirits.

“So… Lovely weather we’re having.”

 


	2. Two

“So what’s the plan Dutch?” 

Night had fallen on the gang’s makeshift camp, members eating the stew that Pearson made from the deer Arthur and Charles had caught the day before. John was also back- Luna cleaning the wound on his cheek before she ate. A lot had happened since they arrived, including taking out a whole O’Driscoll camp and capturing a young O’Driscoll, Kieran. The gang had gathered in the main room, wondering just what on earth they could do and where they could go. They couldn’t stay in the mountains - they’d die within two weeks. Dutch racked his brain as he stared at a map, looking for possible places they could go. His eyes skimmed over the words Valentine, and nudged Arthur, pointing to the words. 

“That’s a lotta civilisation, Dutch…” Arthur shook his head, glancing at the words on the map. They couldn’t go further north, or back west into Blackwater, and lord only knows what lurked direct south. 

“I know, but I don’t see what other choice we have.” Dutch sighed. He turned to his tired family - all looking to him for some kind of idea. “We head West, into Valentine. I know a little spot we could use, for now, until we find a proper place.” 

“What about Sean and Mac?” Amelia asked, leaning her arms on her knees as she sat on the floor next to Lily and Nick. She was worried mainly for Sean - not that she’d ever admit it. 

“What about them? We can’t do nothin’, at least not right now.” Connor replied, a harsh tone in his voice. He and Amelia never really got along well - Amelia’s fiery personality and Connor’s always made them at loggerheads. 

“We can’t just leave them.” She furrowed her eyebrows looking up at him. 

“Look princess, I know you’re worried about the ginger, but let’s face it - he’s probably dead.” Connor shrugged, his Irish accent thick as he spoke. He and Sean never got along either. 

“You take that back.” Amelia spat while standing up, her quick temper almost too quick in this situation. 

“Both of you, stop it.” Hosea warned from beside Dutch. It wasn’t new to him to have to separate the two. Amelia sighed, sitting back down and getting a reassuring pat on the shoulder from Lily. Everyone knew Amelia and Sean were sweet on each other - as much as they tried to hide it. It was only natural for her to be upset - especially when Connor was winding her up as per usual. It was no wonder he and Micah got along. 

“This is the plan - We gather a few people to rob that damn train in the morning, while whoever stays behind packs up. We’ll get back and leave straight away, heading for that spot near Valentine.” Dutch spoke, his voice full of hope and confidence. Luna looked at her father with a smile - she wanted to be like him some day. She wanted nothing more than to go on the train robbery with them - but she knew Dutch would never allow it. Then again, what was the harm in asking?

“Now everyone - try and get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.” Dutch nodded to everyone. As everyone dispersed, Luna stuck around, getting up from her seat next to John and standing beside her father, Hosea and Arthur. 

“You know, Pa… I was thinking.” She trailed off, looking up at Dutch with an innocent grin. She had him wrapped around her finger and she knew it. Dutch looked at her suspiciously before Arthur spoke. 

“Don’t hurt yourself.” He joked, earning a small slap on the arm from Luna before turning back to Dutch. 

“Ain’t it time I start coming on robberies with you fellers? You know I can shoot, and ain’t no-one gonna pick on a young girl.” She said hopefully. Dutch shook his head. 

“Absolutely not. I can’t risk that darlin’, I’m sorry.” 

“Hey hold on now Dutch, it might be a good idea.” Connor overheard the conversation and interjected, a hand on Luna’s shoulder. “She’s a bloody good shot and you kno’ it. What if she comes tomorrow? There’ll be plenty of us and you can see if she can handle it.” 

“But-” He started, but stopped himself and sighed. It was a good idea. 

“A simple train robbery, what can go wrong? After Blackwater I think we’ve used up all our bad luck. Besides, I’ll be fine, I got you guys if things go to chaos.” She looked up at Dutch hopefully, who sighed.

“Okay, fine. You stay back at all times, you’re never on your own and I don’t want you killin’ nobody, you hear?” Dutch pointed at her as she nodded. Luna was the spitting image of Dutch - the same curly, black hair, the same eyes and smile. “Now go get some sleep.” He smiled, kissing her on the forehead after nodding to the door. She smiled up at him, walking towards the door like everyone else, nerves bubbling in her stomach.

 

Turns out, the train robbery was actually a huge success. They made off with a score and nobody got hurt. The heist crew, consisting of Dutch, Micah, Arthur, Javier, Charles, Bill, Lenny, Luna, Amelia and Connor returned to their makeshift camp in the mountains, where the remaining gang members were packing up ready to move. 

“I did tell you it would be fine.” Luna grinned as she hitched her horse, its black mane drifting in the wind of the mountains. 

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get too giddy.” Connor smirked as he pulled up next to her, jumping off his ginger horse also and pushing her head playfully. Luna was the one person he couldn’t piss off. 

“You’re just jealous ‘cause she was probably better than you.” Nick retorted as he exited the cabin to tend to the horses, making sure they were fed and hydrated enough for another journey. 

“So, we gettin' out of this hellhole?” Arthur asked, pulling up beside Dutch and Hosea.

“We're gonna try, weather seems stable.” Dutch responded, checking on a horse next to the wagon. 

“ _ And _ , we just robbed a Leviticus Cornwall train.” Hosea pointed out.

“The worst is behind us, gentlemen. And, ladies.” Dutch gestured to the women of the camp who were packing up, something Amelia was dreading.

“Since you two girlies can go out robbin’, you can help pack up.” Miss Grimshaw smiled at both Luna and Amelia, who looked at each other and then back at Susan. If there was one thing they were good at, it was getting out of work. 

“You know… I don’t think us little girlies like us can lift such heavy boxes, don’t you Luna?” Amelia smirked, placing her hand on Luna’s shoulder and winking. Luna smirked also, turning to Susan. 

“Yeah.. I mean, wouldn’t some of the men be better suited to carry  _ such _ heavy items?” Luna asked overdramatically, pointing towards Micah and Bill. 

“Exactly, see! Bill and Micah are right there.” Amelia backed up, taking Luna’s arm. “Let’s go!” Dutch and Arthur simply laughed as Susan scowled at the two girls running off somewhere or other.

 

Sooner or later, the makeshift camp they had made was packed up, and the caravan was on the way to a little place called Horseshoe Overlook. Dutch was convinced it would take the law weeks to figure out where they were - if they were still following them. Lily was of course driving one of the wagons with Nick. Amelia was stuck driving another wagon with Connor, and decided it was for the best to stay quiet. Connor noticed it and sighed - you could cut the tension with a knife. 

“I’m… sorry. For what I said about redhead. I'm sure he’s fine, us Irish always are.” He said turning to Amelia. This was new - he never usually apologised. Amelia turned back to him with a small smile. 

“Here’s hoping. We'll find him or, he’ll find his way back to us. He always does.” Amelia said with a confidence that was faltering.

“How's John holdin’ up?” Dutch shouted back to Abigail and Luna, who were taking care of him.

“Whinin, as per, but he’s fine.” Abigail responded, smirking a bit at Luna and resulting in an offended look from John. 

 

Within a couple hours, the gang had made their way from the cold, snowy mountain tops to the warm air of New Hanover, where the grass was actually visible and they could actually take off their damned winter coats. After arriving and setting everything up (Amelia and Luna actually being made to do their share after avoiding Susan for the second time), the camp’s mood was… relaxed. Apart from a lecture from Dutch and Hosea about earning their keep, everyone was happy. For once. It was one of the rare moments where the gang came together and spent some time together, before proper business started the next day. The gang had just stopped laughing about an old story from Dutch and Hosea, when Hosea turned to Lily. 

“You’re a good singer, sweetheart. Sing us something.” He nudged her from his seat, looking down to the young girl. People began nodding in agreement, and Lily simply sighed and laughed, sitting up in her place.    
“ Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play, where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day. A home, a home. Where the deer and the antelope play, where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the sky is not clouded all day. Oh give me a land where the where the bright diamond sand throws it's light from the glittering streams, where I am alone with the graceful white swan, like the fate in her heavenly dreams. A home, a home, where the deer and the antelope play, where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the sky is not clouded all day.” By the time she had finished, some of the gang had joined in. It was one of those nights where the members truly appreciated being in a gang and how far they’d come. As they each left to get some sleep, they were left wondering about the next few days and what was to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song featured is called home on the range from 1874, I thought it was a nice touch. I was gonna do the parting glass but it didnt come out until 1963 and it wouldve bugged the hell out of me.   
> im really self concious about this whole thing so pls let me know what you think!


End file.
